I know there are about a million drills out there in the world of pocket billiards so what are some of the ones people practice here ?
what are the best drills
- Thread starter 9ball_in_MN
- Start date
Some of these are from BK and some from other people...
1. cueball in the center of the table and OB a few feet away, lined up perfectly straight into the corner. Look carefully to be sure that the cueball and OB are both on the line between the two opposite corner pockets.
Your goal is to sink the ball and follow into the corner 10 times, then (much tougher) sink it and draw into the opposite corner 10 times. It doesn't have to be 10 in a row, and don't be surprised if you come up dry a lot on the draw drill. To make these trickier and force you to really focus on your stance and stroke, you are allowed NO practicing swings.
2. A speed control drill that I like:
http://www.jessescornerpocket.com/speeddrill.jpg
Don't bump any balls or play 2 rail shape, don't touch the side, etc... reset if you get too out of line to continue.
3. Line up 15 balls across the table from side pocket to side pocket. Put the cueball up near the head rail and straight in on each ball and just fire it into the corner. This is just mechanics so you can move the cueball at will, just make sure it's near the head rail. Sounds simple but it's good.
4. Set up a certain simple shot that you like... a side rail cut, a foot rail cut, even a hanger... and figure out what english you can use to reliably land the cueball in the dead center of the table every time. Use a sheet of paper with a target on it. Try for 10 of these in as few tries as possible. Then move on to a different simple shot.
5. Set up a break shot in straight pool and make it and splatter the rack. Play straight pool against the ghost and keep track of your high run. Set a realistic goal (say, a run of 10 or 20) and whenever you miss, rerack and set it up again and keep trying until you hit the goal. If you hit the goal, keep going to see what kind of run you can put together (after which you're free to move on to something else).
Normally I don't recommend drills where you just shoot regular shots, but I like this straight pool drill. I also like:
6. Based on your skill level, pick a number of balls, roll them out on the table at random (try to be truly random, spread 'em around a bit). Four is a good start. Then take ball in hand, figure out the absolutely easiest pattern to run 'em, and try to run them following this pattern. If you get out of line so that you're forced to shoot a different ball, or into a different pocket than you planned, just reset. Even if you can still easily run them all by changing your gameplan midway... don't, because it doesn't teach you anything. The trick to this is to try to spot a pattern that has as many stop shots as possible. If you can run the chosen number of balls 3 times in a row, add another ball to the mix (so if you find you can keep running 4, roll out 5 next, then 6, and so on). If you can do it with 8 or 9 reliably you're doing really well.
1. cueball in the center of the table and OB a few feet away, lined up perfectly straight into the corner. Look carefully to be sure that the cueball and OB are both on the line between the two opposite corner pockets.
Your goal is to sink the ball and follow into the corner 10 times, then (much tougher) sink it and draw into the opposite corner 10 times. It doesn't have to be 10 in a row, and don't be surprised if you come up dry a lot on the draw drill. To make these trickier and force you to really focus on your stance and stroke, you are allowed NO practicing swings.
2. A speed control drill that I like:
http://www.jessescornerpocket.com/speeddrill.jpg
Don't bump any balls or play 2 rail shape, don't touch the side, etc... reset if you get too out of line to continue.
3. Line up 15 balls across the table from side pocket to side pocket. Put the cueball up near the head rail and straight in on each ball and just fire it into the corner. This is just mechanics so you can move the cueball at will, just make sure it's near the head rail. Sounds simple but it's good.
4. Set up a certain simple shot that you like... a side rail cut, a foot rail cut, even a hanger... and figure out what english you can use to reliably land the cueball in the dead center of the table every time. Use a sheet of paper with a target on it. Try for 10 of these in as few tries as possible. Then move on to a different simple shot.
5. Set up a break shot in straight pool and make it and splatter the rack. Play straight pool against the ghost and keep track of your high run. Set a realistic goal (say, a run of 10 or 20) and whenever you miss, rerack and set it up again and keep trying until you hit the goal. If you hit the goal, keep going to see what kind of run you can put together (after which you're free to move on to something else).
Normally I don't recommend drills where you just shoot regular shots, but I like this straight pool drill. I also like:
6. Based on your skill level, pick a number of balls, roll them out on the table at random (try to be truly random, spread 'em around a bit). Four is a good start. Then take ball in hand, figure out the absolutely easiest pattern to run 'em, and try to run them following this pattern. If you get out of line so that you're forced to shoot a different ball, or into a different pocket than you planned, just reset. Even if you can still easily run them all by changing your gameplan midway... don't, because it doesn't teach you anything. The trick to this is to try to spot a pattern that has as many stop shots as possible. If you can run the chosen number of balls 3 times in a row, add another ball to the mix (so if you find you can keep running 4, roll out 5 next, then 6, and so on). If you can do it with 8 or 9 reliably you're doing really well.
get the Bert Kinister 60 minute workout for 9-Ball and 8-Ball tape. the one voted the best tape of 1994.
not real crazy about his advanced workout tape, but the Bob Byrne Advanced drills tape is an excellent one too.
i would get those two tapes, practice and practice those shots, and you should have a pretty solid foundation to build from - assuming you put a few hours of practice in each day for a few years............
DCP
not real crazy about his advanced workout tape, but the Bob Byrne Advanced drills tape is an excellent one too.
i would get those two tapes, practice and practice those shots, and you should have a pretty solid foundation to build from - assuming you put a few hours of practice in each day for a few years............
DCP
I would recommend that you try as many different drills as you possibly can. I am going to try that drill that creedo just posted as soon as I post this.
Another thing is to play a regular game of 9-ball against your self. As soon as you miss a shot, set it up and shoot it 80 times or so...welll....at least unill you make it.
Then keep going. This way your working on the shots that you find most difficult. It help me at least....
just my 2 cents.
Another thing is to play a regular game of 9-ball against your self. As soon as you miss a shot, set it up and shoot it 80 times or so...welll....at least unill you make it.
Then keep going. This way your working on the shots that you find most difficult. It help me at least....just my 2 cents.
Champions shoot that shot until they can't miss it.8-Ball Player said:I would recommend that you try as many different drills as you possibly can. I am going to try that drill that creedo just posted as soon as I post this.
Another thing is to play a regular game of 9-ball against your self. As soon as you miss a shot, set it up and shoot it 80 times or so...welll....at least unill you make it.
just my 2 cents.
TannerPruess said:Champions shoot that shot until they can't miss it.
Yeah, if you made that shot 80 times it would be ingraved inside your head, like a habit or somthing. I think its 80 or maybe 120, either way your going to have 100% retention to that particualr shot.
One down, 500 billion to go.
8-Ball Player said:One down, 500 billion to go.
yeah, aint that the truth.........
DCP
opinions
You know...by asking a vague question like the one you're asking, the only thing you're gonna get is someone's opinion as to what the best drill is. Some have worked for them, and some have not, so the only ones you're gonna get are the ones that did. If you really want to improve your game, and YES this is only MY opinion, the first thing you need to do is to assess what your biggest flaws are when playing. Once you can honestly say to yourself what your REAL problem shots are, THOSE are the ones you need to work on before going any further...Only after "fixing" a flaw in your game, can you REALLY say you've improved. Start with your BIGGEST flaw first cause obviously thats the most important one to correct. After getting that one within tolerable accuracy, work on your lesser missed shots. Just set up the shots you miss the most, and play them until they become almost second-nature to you...Then move on to another. So, IMO you should start by writing down what your biggest flaw is and work on that until you can almost make the shot with your eyes closed, then move on down the list. Maybe a big flaw you have isn't even in shooting, maybe its in the fundamentals...But in this case you're the only one who can honestly come to this conclusion. My suggestion is to FIRST make sure you're fundamentals are solid, and then go into a "list" of what your biggest problems are, and work on them first. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been faced with a shot that I didn't normally make, but made it WITH shape because my fundamentals became a priority when I shot the ball. Yeah, drills are nice to work on if you know what TO work on, but if you're having problems keeping some fundamental issue straight, practice means absolutely NOTHING. This is only MY opinion, like I said above, but any time I'm stuck with something difficult I rely on my basic knowledge to get me through it, and it normally works for me. So yeah, IMO, fundamentals are the key, NOT drills
You know...by asking a vague question like the one you're asking, the only thing you're gonna get is someone's opinion as to what the best drill is. Some have worked for them, and some have not, so the only ones you're gonna get are the ones that did. If you really want to improve your game, and YES this is only MY opinion, the first thing you need to do is to assess what your biggest flaws are when playing. Once you can honestly say to yourself what your REAL problem shots are, THOSE are the ones you need to work on before going any further...Only after "fixing" a flaw in your game, can you REALLY say you've improved. Start with your BIGGEST flaw first cause obviously thats the most important one to correct. After getting that one within tolerable accuracy, work on your lesser missed shots. Just set up the shots you miss the most, and play them until they become almost second-nature to you...Then move on to another. So, IMO you should start by writing down what your biggest flaw is and work on that until you can almost make the shot with your eyes closed, then move on down the list. Maybe a big flaw you have isn't even in shooting, maybe its in the fundamentals...But in this case you're the only one who can honestly come to this conclusion. My suggestion is to FIRST make sure you're fundamentals are solid, and then go into a "list" of what your biggest problems are, and work on them first. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been faced with a shot that I didn't normally make, but made it WITH shape because my fundamentals became a priority when I shot the ball. Yeah, drills are nice to work on if you know what TO work on, but if you're having problems keeping some fundamental issue straight, practice means absolutely NOTHING. This is only MY opinion, like I said above, but any time I'm stuck with something difficult I rely on my basic knowledge to get me through it, and it normally works for me. So yeah, IMO, fundamentals are the key, NOT drills
S
Scottster
Guest
CreeDo said:
The way BK describes these shots is on the "Mighty X", one of the better tapes IMHO.
On the tape, BK says put the OB 2 diamonds up the long rail, one rail in on the short rail ( on the line drawn from corner pocket to corner pocket) and put the CB about 5-6" out of the opposite pocket. Then shoot the ball in the opposite pocket and have the CB follow it in the same pocket, all with zero practice strokes. 10 out of 10 = A speed. Same with the draw stroke, no practice strokes make the ball draw straight back into a scratch in the corner. Do this untill you make 10 succesful shots (not in a row on the draw).
If you want to make a good $50 investment in your game go here and do this.....
http://www.playgreatpool.com/stroke_analysis.html
Mark will give an in depth analysis of your video, and send you an instructional package that has enough info to keep you busy for at least 6 months.
If you have the mental toughness to stick to these lesson plans the way Mark lays them out, the info you will gain is worth at least 10 times the $50 investment.
On second thought, keep the current trend going and dont adhere to any suggestions I give. Bang away.
Eh I don't like drills. The best drill IMO is to hit power draw shots with the OB at the first diamond near the rail until you can draw the CB straight back from the end rail. Once you have the stroke to accurately/comfortably hit this shot (8-9-10/10?) everything else is just a matter of whether you know what you are doing as far as aiming goes (lol like aiming is some small little task). This shot is a funker on a tight table but get it down you should have a straight powerful stroke, what else do you need?
Eric.
Eric.
poolnut said:
It is an eye opener isnt it hehe, but seriously once you get it down you jump a level. The key is a low bridge and a level stroke, you really do not have to kill it to get full table draw/follow as long as you make good contact and hit where you want to.
Eric.
great advise thanks to all